Ten LFA Students Named National Merit Scholarship Semifinalists

A total of 10 students at Lake Forest Academy were recently honored and recognized at Morning Meeting on Sept. 10 for being named Semifinalists in the 2026 National Merit Scholarship Program.

Officials of the National Merit Scholarship Corporation announced the names of over 16,000 Semifinalists from high schools around the country that include 10 LFA students. Semifinalists are selected based on the results of the PSAT/NMSQT® exams taken during their junior years. The nationwide pool of Semifinalists represents less than one percent of U.S. high school seniors and includes the highest-scoring entrants in each state.

Members of the Class of 2026 that were named Semifinalists include:

Drew Cobin
Ella Froberg
Jinki Hong
Quinn Macejko
Aadit Mantrow
Jackson Pick
Sahasrad Sathish
Veronika Vovk
Gabby Wang
Cyrena Yang

These academically talented high school seniors have an opportunity to continue in the competition: to be considered for a Merit Scholarship® award, Semifinalists must fulfill several requirements to advance to the Finalist level of the competition. The National Merit Scholarship Corporation will then award nearly $26 million in scholarship money to Finalists in the spring of 2026.

Three types of National Merit Scholarships will be offered in the spring of 2026. Every Finalist will compete for one of 2,500 National Merit® $2500 Scholarships that will be awarded on a state-representational basis. About 830 corporate-sponsored Merit Scholarship awards will be provided by approximately 150 corporations and business organizations for Finalists who meet their specified criteria, such as children of the grantor’s employees or residents of communities where sponsor plants or offices are located. In addition, about 150 colleges and universities are expected to finance some 3,600 college-sponsored Merit Scholarship awards for Finalists who will attend the sponsor institution.

LFA’s 10 Semifinalists follow five in the Class of 2025 and 2024, seven in the Class of 2023, two in the Class of 2022, three in the Class of 2021, and five in the Class of 2020.

National Merit Scholarship winners of 2026 will be announced in four nationwide news releases beginning in April and concluding in July. For more information on the National Merit Scholarship program, please visit nationalmerit.org.

About Lake Forest Academy
Founded in 1857, Lake Forest Academy is a coed boarding school serving 452 academically bright and motivated students in grades nine to 12 from across the globe. The Academy offers a rigorous curriculum focused on academic excellence and characterized by small classes and close faculty/student interaction. The school's mission of educational excellence is founded on the four pillars of character, scholarship, citizenship, and responsibility. The LFA community places students at the center of their own learning and provides the support needed to develop confidence and strong values. For more information, visit www.lakeforestacademy.org.